Chapter 5 A Strange Dream

 

That morning, Elsa was assigned to tend to the flower garden, making sure any flowers that had withered were replaced with fresh ones. Since the garden overlooked the sea, she could see Dustin jogging along the beach.

Without realizing it, Elsa stopped to watch him. She wondered if Dustin ever grew tired of spending his time alone on an island like this, with no access to the modern world beyond it.

“I’ve only been here for three weeks, and I’m already so bored. I want to go back to the city, but I don’t know how to get home.”

Elsa could only resign herself to her situation. She finished her work properly before returning to the house.

At that moment, Marley had just come out of Dustin’s bedroom carrying a bundle of dirty clothes. The middle-aged woman gave Elsa a faint smile and walked past her without saying anything.

“Everyone in this house is a little strange. Mrs. Marley is sometimes kind to me, but at other times, she acts like a complete stranger.”

Elsa shook her head. She still had to clean the back of the house before she could finally rest.

The lush backyard was beautiful. Elsa often spent her breaks beneath the trees, sitting on the green grass beneath the blue sky and enjoying the soothing beauty of the surrounding trees.

“I miss life in the city. Even though this place is beautiful, I feel like I can’t do anything without the internet. I never realized how difficult it would be to get used to this.”

Elsa tilted her head back, enjoying the breeze, but she accidentally spotted Marley and Dustin talking to each other. Dustin appeared to hand something to Marley. The middle-aged woman nodded before walking away.

“That man is so mysterious too. He’s so different from Deon, even though their bodies are almost identical,” Elsa thought.

Without meaning to, their eyes met. This time, however, Dustin was the first to look away.

Elsa descended from the higher ground toward the beach. For the first time since arriving, she was able to step onto the wet sand along the shore. The cool air carried the scent of the sea, the sound of crashing waves filled the air, and the darkening sky looked incredibly beautiful.

Still, no matter how breathtaking the scenery was, something felt missing when she had to live so far away from the modern world. No computer, no phone, and nothing else involving electronic devices.

“Elsa! You’d better come back. It’s not good for you to be down there at night!” Marley called from above.

Elsa looked up and saw Marley waving for her to come back.

“But I just started enjoying the feel of the seawater,” she grumbled.

Reluctantly, she climbed the natural stone steps leading back up.

“Elsa, you really shouldn’t go outside at night here. You’re still new. You don’t know what’s out there once it gets dark,” Marley warned.

“What is out there? Isn’t this place far from civilization? I don’t think there are even wild animals here.”

Marley shook her head.

“You’re wrong. There’s something far more dangerous out there that you don’t know about. You should listen to me. Don’t go outside once the sky gets dark. It’s dangerous.”

Marley then closed the door, locked both the upper and lower locks, and shut all the windows.

Elsa could only frown, unable to understand why Marley would go to such lengths. After all, they were living in the middle of an isolated island, and Dustin’s house was the only one in the area.

“I’ve prepared dinner. Come eat, then get some rest. Once it gets dark, there’s nothing we can do in this house,” she said.

Elsa obediently nodded, but she was still curious about what was outside after dark. As far as she knew, there were no wild animals or anything dangerous because the island was relatively small, allowing its boundaries to be seen from end to end.

“Can I ask you something?” Elsa asked, starting a conversation.

“Of course. You must have a lot of questions since you’re still new here,” Marley replied.

“How long has Dustin actually lived in this house?”

Marley did not answer immediately. She looked at Elsa through the dim candlelight.

“About fifteen years ago, I came here when Dustin was fifteen. I’ve stayed with him all this time, even though one by one, servants like you have chosen to end their lives because they couldn’t stand living in this place.”

“So you mean I’m not the first person to serve Dustin?” Elsa asked again.

Marley shook her head.

“There were several before you. But as you know, who would want to stay in a place like this without electronic devices and with no way to leave, no matter what?”

“And when you warned me like that earlier, were you afraid I would do the same thing as the other servants who ended their lives?” Elsa asked.

Marley let out a long sigh.

“Eat, Elsa. I think you’ve asked too many questions already,” she replied, watching Elsa obediently continue eating.

The woman quietly finished her meal and then drank the beverage that Marley had been watching without Elsa realizing it.

“I’ll clean the dirty dishes.”

“No need. That’s my job. You can go. If possible, make sure you close your bedroom window to prevent anything unwanted from happening,” Marley said.

Elsa went to her room and did as Marley had instructed, closing both the bedroom window and the curtains.

A short while later, for some reason, she suddenly began to feel extremely sleepy. Perhaps it was the result of being full, combined with the darkness that made it impossible for her to resist falling asleep.

“This place suddenly feels so comfortable. I can finally rest here peacefully,” she thought.

Within seconds, she drifted into a deep sleep.

Somewhere between consciousness and sleep, Elsa felt an unfamiliar touch slowly moving over her body. The strange sensation gradually made her move restlessly in her sleep.

When she opened her eyes, Elsa could only see a vague figure hovering over her body. The darkness concealed the person’s identity. But the sensation of wet kisses made Elsa unconsciously let out a soft gasp. Especially when the stranger’s large hands began gently squeezing her breasts.

“DON’T!”

Elsa jolted awake, her eyes flying open as she realized that the sky outside had already grown bright.

She rubbed her face as she remembered the dream she had just experienced.

“Good heavens. Thank goodness it was only a dream.”